Beach Boys Pet Sounds (Capitol...

May 17, 1990|By Greg Kot.

Beach Boys

Pet Sounds (Capitol) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)

This CD reissue of a 20th Century musical masterpiece is everything one could hope for: Digitally remastered from the original tapes, it packs a wallop only hinted at by the vinyl version, and it includes extensive liner notes and three compelling bonus tracks. The digital clarity reveals the full splendor of Brian Wilson`s auteur-like vision: the crack of the first snare shot on the opening track, ``Wouldn`t It Be Nice``; the thick, room-shaking bass lines; the rattling tambourine on ``I Know There`s an Answer.`` All of which enhances the enjoyment of one of rock`s first true start-to-finish albums, a 1966 song cycle about the loss of innocence that preceded the Beatles` more celebrated ``Sgt. Pepper`s Lonely Hearts Club Band`` by a year. Though surrounded by orchestration and the trademark Beach Boy harmonies, Brian Wilson`s heartbreaking falsetto voice and his melodic bass lines are at the core of this album`s emotional appeal. From the naivete of ``Wouldn`t It Be Nice`` and the intense adoration of ``God Only Knows,`` he comes to realize that ``I Just Wasn`t Made for These Times`` and can barely mask his disbelief when the love of his life turns cold and jaded on the record`s final song,

``Caroline, No.`` Capitol is reissuing all the Beach Boys` early records on disc, and the legendary, unreleased ``Smiley Smile`` should be in stores July 4.